Following an acclaimed, sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre, Fracked! or: please don’t use the f-word is now on tour, appearing at Malvern Theatres from Monday, April 24.

Alistair Beaton’s provocative new comedy takes us to an idyllic English village threatened by an energy company intent on drilling for shale gas. Anne Reid plays Elizabeth, a retired academic who finds herself transformed from obedient citizen to angry protestor. While her increasingly grumpy husband, played by James Bolam, longs for the quiet life, Elizabeth soars to fame via social media. Desperate to get planning permission, hard-nosed PR men team up with a corrupt local councillor to persuade the villagers that fracking is good. Elizabeth’s having none of it, and mounts the barricades.

This new razor-sharp black comedy by Alistair Beaton, a much-praised political satirist whose television work includes the BAFTA-nominated The Trial of Tony Blair and Spitting Image, and plays such as the West End hit Feelgood.

James Bolam’s credits include New Tricks (BBC) and Glengarry Glen Ross (Donmar Warehouse, Olivier nomination). Anne Reid is acclaimed for her many award-winning roles including Hedda Gabler (Old Vic) and Last Tango in Halifax. They are joined by Michael Simkins, known for his many TV and West End roles, most recently Yes, Prime Minister and Hay Fever. Harry Hadden-Paton also joins the cast, and is well known for his roles on stage including The Pride, The Changeling and Flarepath, and on television in Downton Abbey. Further casting includes: Waleed Akhtar, Andrea Hart, Sophie Khan Levy, Freddie Meredith, Steven Roberts and Tristram Wymark.

Fracked! will be at Malvern Theatres from Monday, April 24 to Saturday, April 29. To book, call the box office on 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk.